1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a loss of neutral detector for an electrical distribution system.
2. Related Prior Art
At present, loss of neutral detection is carried out by circuit interrupters such as those described in British Patent Specification No. 2,000,398 (Hazemeyer) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,331 (Legatti). These circuit interrupters include a circuit breaker which is activated on detection of loss of neutral. To achieve this, an earth lead is used to take over the function of the neutral lead and it completes a path for activating current for the circuit breaker. However, there are many situations where an earth lead is not available and loss of neutral detectors which rely on use of an earth lead would not be suitable.
Presently available loss of neutral detectors which do not require an earth lead are circuit interrupters having a circuit breaker which is normally activated and is deactivated when a fault occurs. Such an arrangement has little versatility as output devices other than a circuit breaker may not be used.